The 5 Best Winter Sports You Haven't Tried

Skiing and snowboarding have long been two of the most popular winter pastimes, but are they losing their luster? According to a recent report by the Physical Activity Council, overall participation in both sports has only risen a little bit (2 and 8 percent, respectively) over the last couple of years.

The real growth, it seems, is happening in more random, off-the-beaten-path activities, like snowshoeing (up 25 percent), downhill telemarking (up 34 percent), and freestyle skiing (up 29 percent). If you are seeking more outdoor thrills before the temperatures rise, try one (or all!) of these five nontraditional winter sports.

Fat BikingCruising across fresh powder on two super-fat tires? Sign us up. Otherwise known as winter mountain biking, fat biking began in Alaska in the late 1990s, as yet another adventurous way to make it across the infamous 1,100-mile Iditarod trail. Mountain bikes with smaller, less stable wheels couldn’t cut it through all the snow and ice, so Alaskan Mark Gronewald designed a model with squishy (pumped up to only about 8 PSI), 3.7-inch wide tires, excellent traction, and a relatively light frame to successfully make the trek. Now these balloon-wheeled bicycles are blowing up. Ski areas across the country are offering fat bike rentals and use of their Nordic trail systems for recreational riding and, just this month, the Winter Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado (mountaingames.com) added the Winter Mountain Bike National Championships to its annual events lineup. For more info on how, where, and what to ride, check out surlybikes.com and fat-bike.com.

AirboardingBoogie boarding is easy enough . . . until you try it in the snow. The Airboard is an inflatable, 48-inch long, A-shaped raft that you ride headfirst down the mountain (Skeleton-style). Created by a Swiss snowboarder looking for a safer way to enjoy the slopes post-injury, the Airboard can be found all over Europe and was introduced in the U.S. almost a decade ago. With grooves on its bottom to help control your speed and easy-to-grip side handles to help control your turns, it’s basically a more sophisticated version of the snow tube. How do you stop, you ask? Turn hard enough to do a 90-degree hockey stop, or simply slow yourself down gradually by digging your boots into the snow. This speedy slider can be found at several ski resorts across the country and tons of places abroad. But if it's not there, general snow tubing is a solid alternate. For more info, visit airboard.com.

Snow KayakingDon’t act surprised—you knew those thrill-seeking river guides would come up with a way to keep their kayaks in use during the winter months. Enter snow kayaking. And yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: kayaking in the snow. Experienced kayakers hit the slopes (sporting helmets and cold weather gear, of course) to practice paddling down terrain that’s similar to what it would be like if rapids were frozen over and covered with snow. It's not for the faint of heart. Most ski resorts don’t allow the kayaks on site (shocker!), so your best bet for learning is in the backcountry, with an instructor. Start with easy, wide-open hills with no obstructions, and go from there. If you want to compete, or see the pros do it, Monarch Mountain ski resort in Colorado hosts an annual Kayaks on Snow race in April (skimonarch.com). For more details, visit kayaking.com.

Snow ScootingIf a scooter and a snowboard had a baby, it would be the Snowscoot. Created in 1991, this sorta BMX snow bike was designed specifically for hitting the slopes. Its base is pretty much a split snowboard, so you still want to use the edges (shifting your weight from side to side) to steer and control your speed through the snow, but instead of standing sideways, as you would on a typical snowboard, you stand facing forward. It also has handlebars to help guide your way down the mountain. The trickiest part is getting on and off the lift: Attach the surf leash to one foot, and when the lift approaches, place the Snowscoot in front of you, resting its handlebars on your lap and letting the board hang down. Then, wrap your legs around its front. When you get to the exit, let your board touch down, and glide off the lift. Lots of resorts let you take the Snowscoot into their terrain parks. Find out more about how, where, and what to ride at snowscootusa.com.

Ice ClimbingChances are you may have heard about this one. But you thought it was something only extreme adrenaline junkies tackled, right? Wrong. Turns out anyone can climb up a frozen waterfall if they want to. You just have to have the right gear and a good guide to get it done safely. Your guide should set you up with mountaineering boots, crampons (sleeves made of sharp blades that you strap on to the bottoms of your boots to give you traction in the ice and snow), two ice axes (one for each hand), and a helmet. There's a good shot you'll be belaying, which means you’re connected to your guide (and a sturdy rock above) with a rope that’s securely attached to a harness around your waist, so you can climb without fear of falling. To climb, you essentially kick each foot into the ice slightly above and in front of you, then swing each axe overhead, hooking into the ice above you to pull yourself up. For more info on how, where, and what to climb, check out apexmountainschool.com and theuiaa.org.